DEEP warns of elevated risk of brush fires in the state

With forest fire danger levels high, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is asking residents to be extra cautious during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

“Special care should be taken over the holiday weekend with the use of sparklers, fireworks, and other potentially flammable materials,” it said in a release.

On Thursday, many towns in southwestern Connecticut received several inches of rain. Yet Klee said, “Connecticut residents and visitors alike need to take precautions to prevent forest fires — especially with the forecast calling largely for hot and dry conditions to continue throughout the state over the next few days.”

He said that if you are enjoying the outdoors at a state park or forest, always limit your campfires to the stone or metal rings provided, and be sure your fire is doused thoroughly when done. He also noted that recent gypsy moth defoliation has left many trees bare — especially in the southeastern portion of the state — allowing more sunlight to reach the forest floor and creating drier conditions that contribute to the rapid spread of fires.

DEEP reminded residents that if they have a permit from their local open burning official allowing them to burn brush on their property, the permit is not valid if the forest fire danger is rated high, very high or extreme and you are burning within 100 feet of a grassland or woodland. The forest fire danger level is posted daily on the DEEP website.

DEEP’s Division of Forestry regularly monitors the danger of forest fires to help protect Connecticut’s 1.8 million acres of forested land. Forest fire danger levels are classified as low, moderate, high, very high or extreme.

The average number of acres burned per year in Connecticut is about 500.

Christopher Zajac / Associated Press A firefighter, rear, digs a small break to contain a brush fire in the woods north of Hanover Pond in South Meriden in 2012.